STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS AND COLLEGES ALSO AT FAULT
With respect to the president's plans to cap, modify or otherwise forgive student loan debt, students who have loans with crushing interest payments or who cannot ever conceivability repay the loans are obviously graduates of the University of Stupid, also known as Stupid-U.
Stupid-U graduates cannot use calculators nor look up payment tables on the internet to discover that their institution is not preparing them with careers and/or degree plans that will generate enough income to make the loan payments.
Stupid-U does not counsel its graduates in these matters.
It is not the purpose of the government of the United States to bail out graduates of Stupid-U. Let these students focus their efforts on the college and university that sold them a bill of goods.
Richard M. York
Tyler
SECURITY SYSTEMS
Action by the Tyler City Council has penalized a minority population. The council's plan is to collect as much as $300,000 annually for the General Fund. The total amount is to be taken from one group of citizens, owners of security systems.
We, the 6,628 systems owners (4,833 residential and 1,795 non-residential) provide a burglar deterrent and aid the police. Now we are taxed $50 each year for helping.
Years ago, Tyler registered security systems and charged a one-time permit fee of $30. There would be no charge for renewal registration every two years. By 2010, we were billed $30 for each renewal.
Last September, the Council decided we must pay $50 a year for doing good deeds. Why? The purpose: reducing or eliminating false alarms. This is absurd.
A $75 fee is already charged security system owners for false alarms in excess of five. Are all false alarm callers fined? With no false alarms, I still pay $50.
Taxes pay for all residents to have access to police services. Levying an additional tax (fee) for one group's access is high-handed discrimination.
The City Council should act responsibly and rescind this unjustified action. The mayor should proclaim a day honoring security system owners who are citizen guardians of the community.
You're darn right a refund is due.
Rita Bryant Turner
Tyler
OBAMA'S ALAMO
President Obama is sending a Company size unit to protect our Embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad. He may be using the same tactic Col. Travis and Col. Bowie used in fortifying the Alamo Mission to stand off Mexican army of Gen. Santa Anna. The Alamo troops waited to be aided by Col. Fannin's force. But Col. Fannin was wounded, and he honorably surrendered his command to the Mexican army. But he was slaughtered in his sick bed and his troops were marched out on the road and then executed, while the Alamo troops were overrun and every man was killed or executed by a firing squad.
Travis and Bowie failed to listen to Gen. Sam Houston, who had to fall back and consolidate the remainder of Texas army to fight another day.
President Obama also failed to listen to his military leaders, and our commander-in chief is willing to place a small number of American soldiers and Marines in and around the American embassy to wait for a savage terrorist army to attack.
Can Baghdad be protected from the Sunni murderers? If the Iraqi Army won't stand and fight, the president may have his Alamo. Will more Americans be slaughtered because of a strategy of failure?
John Cole
Flint
IRS MUST GO
The IRS is and has been a corrupt, toxic entity for years, but now that agency has also given us a new standard for arrogance. Yet this agency is charged with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Really? Was this new responsibility given to them for their prior meritorious service? I doubt that. It's because the agency is the liberals' "iron fist" without a velvet glove to soften the blows to their enemies.
Charlie Goff
Quitman
